MCOM 201 Introduction to Media Studies An introduction to the field of media studies, its concepts and theories, and the various modern media industries and professions in today's world. The course aims to help students become better informed about career options in this field and more discerning media consumers. Pre/co-requisite: ENG 203.Each semester.

MCOM 202 Communication TheoryAn overview of the ways in which mass communication has been viewed by social scientists and by practitioners, with a focus on the range of issues studied and questions raised, and the schools, approaches, and trends in the field. Formerly MCOM 221. Each semester.Syllabus

MCOM 203 Arab Media and SocietyAn in-depth examination of the political, social, economic, and technological effects of the old and new Arab media systems on modern Arab society, with an emphasis on Lebanon and the Arab East region. Formerly MCOM 220.Prerequisite: MCOM 201 or 202. Annually.

MCOM 204 From Telegraph to Twitter: Media HistoryThis course situates the history of communication – from the telegraph to today’s social media – as more than a history of technology, and discusses the complexity with which the social world is constructed.Both technology and history enter into conversation, opening up points of critical engagement of modern understandings of the world. Formerly MCOM 263. Prerequisite: MCOM 201.Every Semester.

MCOM 205 Interpersonal Communication An introduction to the processes of human communication and interaction, in face-to-face settings and in small groups. It includes both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication and relies on group projects in the form of simulations of communication situations. Formerly MCOM 204. Prerequisite: MCOM 201 or 202.Annually.

MCOM 210 Research Methods in Media Studies An introduction to the design and implementation of research methodology in media studies. It covers formulating research problems, reviewing scientific literature, designing instruments, and utilizing data collection and analysis techniques, both quantitative and qualitative. Students participate in actual research projects and apply various techniques of data collection and analysis to interpret research findings. Prerequisite: MCOM 201 or 202. Annually.

MCOM 215 Media Law and Ethics A survey of Lebanese, Arab, and International media laws and regulations, and their application within the realms of journalism, public relations, advertising, digital media, and entertainment, with an exploration of ethical guidelines, moral values, and social responsibilities of media scholars, practitioners, and educators. Formerly MCOM 221. Prerequisite: MCOM 201 or 202. Annually.Syllabus

MCOM 216 Public OpinionA general study of the nature of public opinion, and the interplay between psychological and socio-cultural processes in the formation and dissemination of public opinion. An attempt is also made to explore the impact of public opinion on media and socio-cultural change. Measurements of public opinion are also explored. Formerly MCOM 250. Alternate years.

MCOM 217 Political Communication CampaignsIntroduces students to the subfield of political communication, covering its main theories, research methods, and modern applications and strategies. Students gain theoretical and working knowledge of political campaign operations, political press offices, the roles of a political press secretary, media advisor, and communication director, and the technologies used in modern political campaigns. Formerly MCOM 251. Prerequisite: MCOM 202 or permission of instructor. Alternate years. Syllabus

MCOM 218 Media Activism for Social Change An introduction to the theories and strategies of digital media use for non-violent activism and advocacy campaigns and social movements, with a focus on principles of civic activism in the era of digital media convergence. The course balances theory and skills by examining case studies of digital activism from around the world and using digital media tools and civic activism principles to develop social and political change campaigns for civil society groups. Formerly MCOM 252. Annually. Syllabus

MCOM 219 Media Depictions of Society This course examines the role of the media in constructing our social reality through an examination of media practices, both historically and in the present. It particularly examines the representations of Arabs and the Arab world in the Western media, and the US in the Arab media. It covers politics of culture and identity as they shape and intersect with today’s globalized media. Formerly MCOM 262. Prerequisite: MCOM 201.Occasionally.

MCOM 220 Popular Culture From the mid-20th century through the current moment, popular cultural productions and consumer products have become ubiquitous worldwide. While globalized chains of production and distribution account for the availability of these cultural products, we ask what is the significance of their popularity? What are the histories of these commodities, and what tensions do they reconcile or expose in the cultures from which they emerge? And, indeed, what precisely is popular culture, anyways? Prerequisite: MCOM 201. Annually.

MCOM 221 War and Media This seminar asks ‘what is a visual culture of war?” as it expands across an array of media platforms, technologies, and aesthetic conventions. Through a careful examination of key readings and visual representations, we will work to build a more precise theoretical and analytical language for understanding war not simply as an “event” or set material effects on the battlefield and home front, but as a discursive production mediated through a number of often intersecting media sites and institutions. Annually

MCOM 222 Introduction to Visual Culture Studies This course introduces students to the study of visual culture, and examines the role images play in society. Students will explore key historical and contemporary issues, and critical perspectives on the relations of power and desire that structure practices of looking. Students will become familiar with methods of comparing different media forms, social arenas, and cultural contexts. Students will also pursue a research-intensive final project that welcomes image-making as part of the research/writing process. Annually.

MCOM 223 On Television This is an advanced undergraduate course that introduces to students to the study of television as a distinctive approach to the study of the media landscape. Students will explore television’s political economic structures, cultural form, and social function in a range of national, regional, and global contexts. Pre-requisites: Junior standing, or permission of instructor. Occasionally.

MCOM 224 Palestine Film and Media In this undergraduate seminar, students will examine the role played by film and media in efforts not only to resist Israeli occupation but to articulate emancipatory visions of Palestinian liberation. Through close readings of current scholarly literature, weekly film screenings, and seminar discussions, students will interrogate the relationship between culture and politics and explore such contested topics as identity, memory and trauma, power and resistance, and spectacle and surveillance. Pre-requisites: Junior standing, or permission of the instructor. Occasionally.

MCOM 240 News Reporting and Writing An introduction to the reporting and writing of various news stories based on reliable information gathered through interviewing, research, and observation. Formats include basic newspaper and magazine articles, online news, press releases, and other journalistic formats, with emphasis on accuracy, concise presentation, meeting deadlines, and objective and ethical reporting. The course covers news styles, an expanded news vocabulary, sentence structure, story organization, and clean writing. Formerly MCOM 203. Pre-requisite: English 203​. ​​Each Semester. Syllabus

MCOM 242 Public RelationsThe course introduces the student to the world of public relations through a strong emphasis on fundamentals, such as history and research. Emerging issues, such as technology, ethics, and the international aspects of public relations are considered through examining PR strategies, tactics, and case studies.Formerly MCOM 230. Prerequisite: MCOM 201.Annually.

MCOM 243 AdvertisingThe course introduces the student to the core concepts and practices of advertising. It examines the impact of new media and research methods, with an emphasis on integrated communications and the role of ad agencies. Students learn how to assess the effectiveness of advertising, and how to create a successful ad campaign. Formerly MCOM 231. Prerequisite: MCOM 201.Annually. Syllabus

MCOM 245 Broadcast MediaThe course introduces the students to the history of the electronic media, examining the impact of the new media on communication. The course has an interdisciplinary nature, drawing on the expertise of AUB faculty in the fields of communication, science and technology, history, politics, and economics. Formerly MCOM 241. Prerequisite: MCOM 240 or Instructor Permission. Alternate years.

MCOM 247 Trauma Journalism This course aims to sensitize and train students on how to deal with victims of trauma, conflict and violence, including war, suicide, homicide, rape, domestic violence and other traumatizing experiences. It teaches students how to ethically and fairly cover trauma victims, how to protect themselves physically and psychologically from the negative effects of trauma reporting, and how to professionally and sensibly tell the trauma story to their audiences. Formerly MCOM 243. Prerequisite: MCOM 240 or Instructor Permission. Occasionally. Syllabus

MCOM 248 Data JournalismThis course brings together scientific research, data visualization and journalistic story telling techniques. It covers skills and techniques necessary for interpreting data and using statistical information to effectively relay the information to a general audience. Students will learn how to obtain, interpret, visualize and display data, evaluating and producing tables, charts and diagrams using a variety of applications and web tools to tell the story of science. Formerly MCOM 244. Prerequisite: MCOM 240 or Instructor Permission. Occasionally.

MCOM 260 Senior Seminar in Arab Media An undergraduate seminar on the role of Media in society. The content areas may change. May be repeated for credit. Formerly MCOM 261. Prerequisite: Senior standing. Annually.

MCOM 290 Special Topics SeminarMCOM faculty or visiting professors and recognized scholars might be invited to offer seminars to explore relevant dimensions of their research in progress. May be repeated for credit. Occasionally.

MCOM 291 Special Topics (Humanities)A humanities course that provides a general overview of an area in media studies that is not normally covered by the department’s offerings. May be repeated for credit. Occasionally. Syllabus

MCOM 292 Special Topics (Social Sciences)A social sciences course that provides a general overview of an area in media studies that is not normally covered by the department’s offerings. May be repeated for credit. Occasionally.

MCOM293: Special Topics for List B electives

A practice-based course that addresses an area in media studies that is not normally covered by the department’s offerings. May be repeated for credit. Occasionally.​

MCOM 294 Media Brown Bag This course consists of a series of seminars presented by speakers from local and international media initiatives, broadcasters, print medias, and advertising agencies. The aim of the seminars is to allow students first hand accounts of working in the media industry as well as the opportunity to engage in discussion with prominent media practitioners. Formerly MCOM 295A. Prerequisite: Instructor permission. Each semester.

MCOM 296 Internship A summer period of guided work experience supervised by the MCOMS Internships and Workshops Coordinator and designed to acquaint students with a specific media/communication profession and help them acquire core values and basic skills necessary for finding future work and succeeding in that profession. Prerequisite: MCOM 294, 3 credits of any approved List B elective, junior standing, and Instructor permission. Each semester.

MCOM 299 Directed StudyA tutorial course offered to MCOM students with an average of 85 or above in their major at the beginning of their senior year. This tutorial consists of independent research, original creative compositions, or directed reading, and includes the presentation of a report, project, or thesis on the work. Students with averages lower than 85 may be admitted to directed study at the discretion of the department. Formerly SOAN 299. Occasionally.